FAQ
What is GW Wiki? A: GW Wiki is a collaborative encyclopedia for everything related to The George Washington University. The goal of GW Wiki is to create a helpful, unbiased online guide for prospective applicants, accepted students, current students, and alumni and other fans of GW. Is GW Wiki affiliated with The George Washington University? A: No. Articles and other opinions found throughout GW Wiki do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University. GW Wiki is a free and uncensored online encyclopedia about all things pertaining to The George Washington University. Its authors are independent writers and are not employed or contracted by the University. Hey, what happened to GWiki? A: Until October 2012, this site was known as GWiki. It's since been revived, and the name has been changed. Despite this, it's the same site as before! This page looks kinda different. What's going on? A: As of October 2012, GW Wiki is under "new ownership" per se. Because of this, it's gone through somewhat of a design change. Don't worry, though, you can still access all old pages and information from before the redesign. When was GW Wiki born? A: GW Wiki was created on February 28, 2008 by a now-alumnus of the University. It was revived and revamped in October 2012 by two current GW undergraduates. Who made GW Wiki? A: You, the independent editor and writer, made, is making, and will make GWiki. User Davidwigl first started GWiki and created most of the beginning outline and articles, but anyone can edit and add information to GWiki. Why was GW Wiki made? A: The creator of GW Wiki was frustrated by the inaccessibility of information regarding all aspects of GW. He was especially interested to know more about the university from the perspective of the students and therefore decided to make this wiki. Isn't there already a free online GWU encyclopedia? A: Yes. The George Washington University and Foggy Bottom Historic Encyclopedia is maintained and edited by a George Washington University archivist. At the time of GW Wiki's creation however, the online encyclopedia was not functioning properly and was assumed to be offline indefinitely. About a month after GW Wiki's creation, it was discovered to be functioning fine, but could only be edited by writers approved by the university. Also, it focused primarily on the history of GW and not necessarily other aspects that might be of use in an all-encompassing encyclopedia. GW Wiki, therefore, is an encyclopedia that is free and uncensored; it can be constantly updated at any time by any one individual. The George Washington University and Foggy Bottom Historic Encyclopedia can be found at encyclopedia.gwu.edu. Why doesn't GW Wiki look like Wikipedia? A: Originally, it did. However, in 2009, the Wikia company (they host this site) decided to disband the allowed use of the Wikipedia look. This look was created using the Monobook skin, which is no longer supported as a site-wide format. The new format is called "Monaco" and allows for Wikia to advertise on our pages (grrr...). The good news is that you can make GW Wiki look like Wikipedia if you so desire by creating an account, logging in, and setting "Monobook" as your skin preference under My Preferences>Skins. Make sure to unclick the "Let the admins override my skin choice" option. What's a wiki? A: A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. These wiki websites are often also referred to as wikis; for example, Wikipedia is one of the best known wikis. What does wiki mean? A: Wiki Wiki (/wiːkiː wiːkiː/) is a reduplication of wiki, a Hawaiian word for "fast". In English, "wiki" is an abbreviation of it. What are Wikia? Wikia are wiki communities creating free content with the MediaWiki software. These are hosted for free by Wikia, Inc., the company which runs the project. Anyone is free to start a new Wikia in accordance with the Wikia creation policy and terms of use. Who can edit or add to GW Wiki? A: Anyone! Although it is recommended, there is no need to make a Wikia username or sign up in order to edit or add to GW Wiki. However, if one does not edit or add under a Wikia username, their IP address will be documented with any changes that they make. Very few pages may be restricted in two ways: restricted to editing by only those with a Wikia username or restricted only to administrators. How can I report vandalism or misuse of GW Wiki? A: The goal of GW Wiki is to be as open as possible to editing by users. However in the case of misuse, one may simply change or delete offensive or inappropriate material him or herself. However, in the case of widespread vandalism, one may contact an administrator. Who are the administrators and bureaucrats and how can I contact them? A: Admins (also called sysops) and bureaucrats are wiki contributors with extra access. This lets them perform necessary tasks like deleting unneeded pages. Usually, bureaucrats are also admins. Go to the GW Wiki info page on administrators for more information. A list of current admins for GW Wiki can be found on the Special:Listusers/sysop page. To talk to any admin, go to their user page and follow the discussion link (page top) to leave a public message, or e-mail this user link (page left) to send them private e-mail. What if I've never edited a wiki before? A: It's ok! We all start out new at some point. If you want to help out, you can follow instructions found in the bottom box of the GW Wiki main page. What we recommend is to find an article that you can contribute to and then add text and information. After you become more experienced you can try out formatting and templates as well as adding your own articles. Why aren't articles on GW Wiki in other languages like on Wikipedia? A: If you want to make an article in a different language, check out Wikia's language page. How can I contact an administrator of GW Wiki? A: Send an e-mail to gwiki.gwu@gmail.com.